R9 Technology SN400 User manual
User Guide
Copyright © 2021 R9 Technology Inc. All rights reserved. i
SN400 Sensor Node Hardware User Guide
January 2021
Release 1.7
R9 Technology
17217 Waterview Parkway Suite 1.202Y
Dallas, TX 75252
www.r9technology.com
User Guide
Copyright © 2021 R9 Technology Inc. All rights reserved. ii
Document Revisions
Date Version
Number Document Changes
09/28/2010 R1.4 Edit to pair button led flash info, other minor edits
01/11/2021 R1.5 Change DC adapter voltage to 3.0V, other minor edits.
01/21/2021 R1.6 Updated battery information
03/26/2021 R1.7 Updated battery information
User Guide
Copyright © 2021 R9 Technology Inc. All rights reserved. iii
Table of Contents
1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 4
2 SN400 Product Label ............................................................................................................................................... 5
3 Wireless Operating Band (Antenna) ................................................................................................................. 7
4 Power ............................................................................................................................................................................. 7
5 Indicators and Buttons ........................................................................................................................................... 9
6 Physical Dimensions ............................................................................................................................................. 11
7 Installation ................................................................................................................................................................ 11
8 Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
9 Sales and Warranty Policy ................................................................................................................................. 13
6 Specifications ........................................................................................................................................................... 14
7 Certifications - United States FCC Statement ............................................................................................. 15
Copyright © 2021 R9 Technology Inc. All rights reserved. 4
1 Introduction
This User Guide covers specific hardware features of R9 Technologies model SN400 sensor
node. Several SN400 devices can accumulate electronic sensor data, and then wirelessly
transmit this sensor information to a single gateway device (wireless sensor network).
The gateway device will then use an LTE wireless data link to transfer this sensor data to
a database located on an internet-based server. The database can be used by customers
to view and analyze the gathered sensor information. Because the SN400 node has much
lower cost, complexity, and power requirement than the gateway device, the overall
system cost and flexibility is optimized.
The SN400 device’s position in the overall network can be seen in the diagram below.
The SN400 “Piconode” device is at the far-right end of the network diagram. It gathers
sensor information using wired sensors, which will, ultimately, be viewed and analyzed
on a user’s personal computer or smart device using a web-browser. Alerts which are
received via SMS text can also be implemented using the R9 web-based system.
The SN400 sensor node has four ports, each port can support one cabled sensor (for
example, temperature, humidity, door closure, tank liquid level, light level). It is also
possible to support multiple data types on one port, for example temperature and
humidity can be read from the same cabled sensor. Cabled sensors are plugged into the
SN400 using a three-pin connector. The connector is keyed, so the sensors cannot be
installed using the wrong orientation. Typically, each SN400 sensor port is provisioned
at the factory for a specific sensor type (analog, digital, specific communication format).
Therefore, specific sensors will need to be plugged into specific port numbers. The
Copyright © 2021 R9 Technology Inc. All rights reserved. 5
SN400 Installation Guide and R9 Online Portal User Guide contains information on
specific sensors and associated port numbers. Also, when onboarding your system on
the R9 web portal, you will be guided through the process of inserting wired sensors into
the SN400. The onboarding process is customized for specific sensing applications.
The sensor node device is typically mounted to equipment, and then cabled sensors are
applied to specific areas for sensing. For example, a node device is attached externally to
a refrigerator, and then a cabled temperature sensor is routed inside the refrigerator to
measure temperature.
For simple installations, the SN400 node can be installed inside a room, or
refrigerator/freezer, without cabling for the measurement of temperature. If installed
inside a refrigerator/freezer, wireless range may be diminished (typically by one third to
one half), but should be adequate for connection to a nearby gateway device.
The SN400 sensor node requires an external DC power source, or two AAA alkaline
batteries to operate. The sensor node does not have a power switch. When power is
applied by DC jack or insertion of batteries, the device will power on and automatically
begin to broadcast information to allow synchronization with, and connection to a nearby
gateway that is also powered on. Note that in order to pair with (connect to) a gateway
device, all sensor node devices should be setup first, using the online R9 portal. Refer to
the R9 Online Portal User Guide for information on how to onboard and configure the
gateway and sensor nodes in your monitoring system.
2 SN400 Product Label
The SN400 product label located on the side of the device will indicate several important
features of the device.
Table of contents
